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Desmond Snyder
Desmond Snyder''' (alias Mimic) is a de facto member of The Team and ally of the Justice League, as well as the leader/creator of the Teen Titans. During the events of The Mimic Contingency, he posed as the personal soldier of Vandal Savage, fighting and 'exterminating' the League's members while feeding information to Batman. During the prologue of The Titans Convergence, Desmond returns from a five year journey and creates the Teen Titans, recruiting members from The Team to fight against Vandal Savage and Darkseid. Personality Before Desmond joined the Young Justice, he was a very quiet person who rarely interacted with anyone. Despite his reserved personality, his ecstatic reaction upon meeting Batman and the Young Justice shows that he had an avid interest in the Justice League, like most people his age. After joining the Young Justice, he comes out of his shell a bit more, revealing his kindness and willingness to fight for the Young Justice's cause. As noted by people like Artemis and Superboy, Desmond has a very smug, jovial personality, able to make jokes even in the midst of battle. While he posed as Vandal Savage's soldier during the third act of The Mimic Contingency, Desmond showcased a much darker personality. He was vindictive, calculating and incredibly sadistic, going so far as to beat Martian Manhunter to 'death' while he was telepathicaly linked to Miss Martian and 'killing' Hawkman right in front of his wife, Hawkwoman. This 'personality' was so well performed that Desmond tricked his friends, the Justice League and even the members of The Light. He was even able to bypass Psimon's mind-reading abilities, going so far as to reduce the Meta-Human into frightened hysterics. By 2016, Desmond still retains his smug personality, but upon travelling around the world and the Multiverse, has become slightly more serious and considerate of his actions. He has also exhibited signs of depression, such as his self-loathing for inadvertently killing Wally West and lamenting the 'damage' that his missions have caused for those around him. But despite this, he puts on a brave face around his team mates and the Titans, treating them like family and putting their well-being ahead of his goals. Physical Appearance When he was fifteen years old, Desmond was quite tall for his age but fairly lean and without much muscle, mainly due to his avoidance of sports and fitness activities. A pale, Caucasian male, he had light brown eyes and dark brown hair that hung over his forehead in uneven bangs. After his training with the League members, his has become a bit more muscular, a build comparable to Wally's and began to spike his hair up. He retains this appearance upon returning from his travels, but as noted by Artemis, has much darker eyes, lightly-tanned skin and broader shoulders. Over his time in the Young Justice, The Light and the Teen Titans, Desmond has had three different hero uniforms. His first uniform was a hand-me-down from Batman's youth; an improvised, hooded martial arts robes with a mask, belt and gauntlets like Robin's. The suit that he wore during the Mimic Contingency event was modeled after his booby-trapped League one, a two-toned white costume with dark grey sides and shoulder and chest pads. As the leader of the Teen Titans, his third and current costume is a bleach-white armored suit, with a helmet devoid of any features. The suit also has a sheath for his short-sword and a grey utility belt packed with various gadgets and devices. Consequent of his superhero lifestyle, Desmond has numerous scars across his body. Among the most obvious is the light scar across his right eyebrow caused by Kaylanna throwing a book at him and another along his left chest from Parasite cutting him. Following the Titans Convergence, two more wounds are added to Desmond's body - a large scar across his abdomen from the Black Racer's scythe and burnt tissue along his left shoulder during the mission in Bialya. Shortly after his duel with the Black Racer, it was revealed that Desmond used to self-harm and, consequently, has scars along his wrists and upper arms. History 'Early Life ' Desmond Snyder was born on October 10th 1994 to Thomas Snyder and an unknown woman. In May 2007, Desmond's father was killed in a car accident. Since he never knew his mother and had no other known relatives, Desmond was taken in by his father's friend, a Wayne Enterprises employee named Allen Price. Once an Honour Student at Gotham Academy, Desmond transferred to Happy Harbour High School, Rhode Island in 2009, where he earned a scholarship for drama-related studies. Desmond noted that while he wasn't unhappy with his more than modest upbringing, he had very few friends and Allen was rarely home due to his work. 'May 2011 ' Immediately after finishing school, Desmond went straight to the Happy Harbour Mall to buy some groceries, but unable to carry them all, he went to wait at the food court. Not a few more minutes later, the court was swarmed by a group of armed criminals led by Parasite, who quickly took everyone (including Desmond) hostage, hoping to draw out the Young Justice. When the Team arrived, Parasite and the thugs quickly beat them down, neutralizing all of the sidekicks but Kid Flash. Not willing to sit by and do nothing, Desmond lunged at Parasite, hitting the super-villain with a stool, freeing Kid Flash, but getting slashed across the chest by Parasite in the process. When Parasite was detained, the Justice League arrived and quickly attended to Desmond, who was beginning to change into a Meta-Human. As they escorted him out, a barrage of heat-vision launched from Desmond's eyes, almost killing a nearby cameraman. A few hours later, Desmond woke up in Mount Justice, tied and blind-folded to a recliner chair and interrogated by Batman. After his questioning was completed, Desmond was untied by Zatanna (who he immediately became smitten with) and was led to the Missions Room. There, Batman deduced that the injury he had sustained from Parasite had given him powers, ones that allowed him to absorb and temporarily copy the abilities of any Meta-Human he touched. Realizing that he had the potential to join the Young Justice, Batman called Black Canary to give Desmond basic hand-to-hand combat training. Not even a minute into the exercise, Canary beat Desmond over the head and the knuckles with a baton, but snapped and knocked him out when the latter insulted her. Much to Desmond's embarrassment, Canary had recorded the whole engagement and showed it to Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Shazam, Green Lantern and Aquaman. The League members were harsh with their criticisms, some dismissing Desmond as awful whilst others outright mocked him. As they pondered what to do next, Desmond snapped at them, declaring that they had no right to judge him due to the fact that he had saved the Team and stopped Parasite when they failed to. When the League ignored him, Desmond grabbed Superboy's wrist, absorbing his powers and mercilessly beat Superman through the roof of Mount Justice. A battle ensued between Desmond and the Justice League members present, the heroes in awe of the power that Desmond possessed. Whilst he was fighting, Batman learned that the boy could only use one power at a time, learned the hard way when Desmond copied Kid Flash's powers whilst in the air. Despite this limitation, however, Desmond was able to give the Justice League members a sound beating, which ended only when the group attacked at once. Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern quickly began to debate the proper punishment for Desmond's behavior. But Batman, understanding that Desmond was just trying to prove himself, opted against his comrades and declared that Desmond would begin his training in a matter of days. Powers and Abilities 'Powers ' * '''Power Replication: Due to receiving the DNA of Parasite, Desmond can replicate other Meta-Human powers. Originally, he could only copy someone's powers through physical contact and was limited to one power at a time. But thanks to Batman' training and some Apokaliptian proteins given to him by Vandal Savage, Desmond can now copy multiple powers at once and 'remember' them. His prowess with said powers made him a formidable opponent to even five of the Justice League's core members. * Magic: 'While it has yet to be confirmed, Kaylanna has hinted that Desmond possesses rudimentary Magic abilities. '''Abilities ' * '''Above-Average Conditioning: '''During his first few weeks in the Young Justice, Desmond was subjected to rigorous training by each of the Justice League's core members. Whilst the training depended on the League member and their respective instruction, Desmond was noticeably more fit and muscular afterwards. ** '''Endurance: '''Desmond is at almost peak physical condition for someone his age. ** '''Durability: '''Even without his powers, he was able to withstand a beating from Sportsmaster, Wally West and, for a few minutes, a mortal wound from Count Vertigo's sword. ** '''Reflexes: '''Desmond was able to catch a steak knife thrown by Artemis between two fingers (whilst sitting in the dark) and dodge feint attacks from powered beings like Superboy and Kid Flash. * '''Weapons: '''Part of Desmond's training made him proficient with certain weapons. ** '''Swords: '''Desmond's training with Wonder Woman taught him intermediate to advanced swordplay techniques. During the Mimic Contingency, he was good enough to beat off Wonder Woman, League members and The Team with a one-handed sword. ** '''Shield: '''During his battle with Doctor Fate, Desmond's cane transformed into a shield that negated the former's Magic barrages. Desmond was proficient enough to be able to throw the shield around and deflect nearly all Magical attacks. ** '''Firearms: '''Some time before or during the Mimic Contingency, Desmond became a competent marksman. He was able to shoot a beam of Kryptonite energy dead-on Superman's chest whilst his back was turned and later shot the Man of Steel point-blank with a Kryptonite bullet. * '''Movement: ** Martial Arts: 'Desmond's training with Batman and Black Canary taught him Hapkido, Aikido and basic Wing Chun martial arts styles. Prior to and during the Mimic Contingency, these skills were honed to the point he could take on multiple League members, even without his powers. ** '''Stealth: '''Desmond has demonstrated incredible stealth abilities. He was able to hide in a burning building from Martian Manhunter himself, sneak up on Justice League and Team members and even the Titans, despite the room being well-lit. He has also used this ability in fairly inappropriate circumstances, such as sneaking into Miss Martian's apartment while she was asleep with Superboy (his way of "humiliating them back" for not showing up at the former's training session. ** '''Agility: '''Even without his powers, Desmond has showcased incredible agility. This has enabled him to dodge machine-gun fire from trained mercenaries and the Magic blasts from Klarion himself. * '''Mental: ' ** '''Strategic Planning: '''Arguably one of his most dangerous abilities, Desmond has proved himself time and again to be a great tactician. During the Mimic Contingency, he was able to commit all of Batman's Contingency Plans to memory and create his own, along with any failsafes to ensure the plot's completion. Since the creation of the Teen Titans, Desmond has been the Team's leader and mission coordinator, with all but perfect results. ** '''Multilingualism: '''Due to his synchronicity with his Box Device, Desmond has been able to learn whole languages in a matter of months. Excluding his natural English, he has learned French, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Arabic and Spanish. During his mission to find Rachel Roth with Superboy, Desmond also hinted that he may be fluent in Demonic languages, as he was able to understand the chants of Trigon's followers, albeit roughly. His time with Metron and the Box also taught him basic New Genisian, a language that almost no human has learned before. ** '''Telepathic Resistance: '''Whether or not this is an extension of his telepathic abilities or his sheer willpower, Desmond has been able to resist mind-reading/intrusion attempts from powerful telepaths like Miss Martian and Psimon. When the latter tried to render Desmond inert, he was able to reduce the telepath to despaired hysterics in a matter of seconds. ** '''Hacking: '''During his mission to the Sanoran Desert ruins with Artemis, Desmond was able to hack into the Batcave's computers with his wrist computer. * '''Non-Combative Abilities: ** Acting: '''Desmond has proven multiple times to be an excellent actor, fooling the Team, the Justice League and The Light into thinking that he had become evil. His acting skills were so well developed, he was given a Drama/Theatre scholarship at Happy Harbour High School. ** '''Dancing: '''During his 'date' with Zatanna, the two of them danced on a ballroom floor. The fact that they were able to remain in synch even while talking demonstrates Desmond's above-average dancing ability. * '''Piano: In a flashback experienced by Raven, she heard Kaylanna mention that Desmond was a more than competent piano player: ** Chopin's 'Raindrop' Prelude: '''Desmond's favorite piano piece by his own admittance. ** '''Moonlight Sonata: '''Desmond learned the first movement in a few weeks (without Kaylanna's help) but stopped learning the other two movements because of his battle with Delsin and his resulting depression. Playing the first Sonata Movement was the catalyst that built up to Desmond and Kaylanna's first kiss. ** '''Aerith's Theme (Final Fantasy VII): '''Whilst he expressed an interest in this piece, he gave up when Kaylanna and John called him a 'gamer nerd'. It is unknown if he ever learned it. ** '''Mockingbird: '''A piece that Desmond wrote himself for his first anniversary with Kaylanna. Although she didn't admit it, the heartfeltness of the song made Kaylanna cry (with happiness, of course). * '''Pickpocketing: Though he hasn't showcased this ability frequently, Desmond is an adept pickpocket. In Titans Convergence, Desmond was able to remove a Bracelet of Zorya from Superman's wrist without the latter even realizing it. Equipment Despite having an arsenal of powers and abilities at his disposal, Desmond still keeps an array of weapons and gadgets with him: * Holographic Computer: An adaption of Robin and Batman's design, albeit a little smaller. Desmond frequently used this device prior to the Mimic Contingency, but not as much anymore. It has yet to be shown if he has one on his current suit. * Binoculars/Scope * Nth Metal Cane: Desmond's weapon of choice during the Mimic Contingency. Made from smelted samples of Nth Metal, the cane is multi-purpose and transmogrifies into weapons that can be debilitating to particular Meta-Humans. ** Kryptonite/ Kryptonite Beams: '''Used against Superman multiple times, the cane houses a small rock of Kryptonite in the centre. When energy is focused through it, beams of Kryptonite radiation can be fired through the cane's base. The beams were so focused, they left Superman incapacitated for weeks. ** '''Electrical Output: '''Used against Wonder Woman to stimulate the visual synapses and cortexes of her brain to produce hallucinations of Desmond. The Amazonian fought these hallucinations until she was exhausted enough for Desmond to take her down with a single punch to the chest. ** '''Gold Light Refraction: '''Used against Green Lantern, this function of the cane catches the sunlight in ways that make it turn deep yellow/gold, the one colour that cannot be affected by the Green Lantern's ring, rendering the former's powers useless. ** '''Shape Transformation: '''In the time Desmond used it, the cane took on the forms of multiple forms. These included a sword, shield and spear. * '''Sword: '''Desmond's latest costume comes with a ''chisa katana ''style sword. He has yet to use it, but he brandished it during the Titans first meeting. Weaknesses * '''Power Overuse: '''Whilst it wasn't as prevalent a problem initially, reckless overuse of his replication powers can cause Desmond intense pain and even endanger his life. * '''Devotion: '''Although not a technical weakness, Desmond's love for his friends has often been his undoing, especially when Zatanna and the Titans have been concerned. * '''Temperament: '''Desmond has shown to be uncontrollable and cold when he is angered, even towards his teammates. When he thought Zatanna had betrayed him, he was so enraged that he ruthlessly beat the Team and almost killed Miss Martian. * '''Depression/Self-Loathing: '''Desmond admitted that he suffers from depression and used to self-harm, leaving scars all over his arms, thighs and upper body. Although he does not self-harm anymore, this has left him with severe emotional wounds and a crippled self-confidence. Relationships '''Robin/Nightwing With both of them being prestigious Gotham Academy students, Dick and Desmond are well-acquainted with each other. But despite this, Desmond was completely unaware of the former's secret identity and life as a member of the Team. When Desmond joined the Team, Robin was one of the few members of the Team that supported him prior to his induction as a Young Justice member. This support was solidified by Robin extolling Desmond's success in battling Sportsmaster, Klarion and the Injustice League. Unfortunately, Desmond's actions during the Mimic Contingency put their friendship under considerable strain. Since The Team and the Justice League (excluding Batman) were unaware of Desmond's true intentions, Robin saw Desmond's ploy against the Light as a genuine act of treachery, believing that he had truly killed Batman and consequently, he swore revenge. To make matters worse, Robin was outraged by Desmond's 'date', especially when the latter shared an emotional kiss with Zatanna. With the Mimic Contingency's conclusion, Robin and Desmond settled their differences and went back to being friends. When the latter returned from his journey, he convinced his old friend (now Nightwing) to return to his work as a hero and join the Teen Titans. Although Nightwing was hesitant due to Kid Flash's recent death, he eventually agreed and became one of the Titans' leaders. Batman (Bruce Wayne) Ever since their first meeting, Desmond's relationship with Batman has been quite strenuous. The Dark Knight was very cold - unfriendly even - towards Desmond; putting the boy through grueling training exercises, showing little empathy towards him and deliberately failing to acknowledge Desmond's achievements. In the days prior to the Mimic Contingency, however, the two began to trust each other more. Batman personally saw to Desmond's preparations, mental and physical, to make sure the latter would be able to withstand the mental and emotional strain of spying on The Light. When Desmond formed the Teen Titans, Bruce contributed to the Titan Tower's construction through Wayne Enterprises', under the pretense that it would "help exemplary teens". But despite this, Bruce displayed a growing distrust of Desmond, berating him for his secrecy and withholding important information from the Justice League. Vandal Savage While Savage sees Desmond as a worthy successor and the embodiment of his Darwinist ideals, Desmond's feelings are the complete opposite. He views Savage as a great threat to the world and is one of the only people that Desmond truly hates. Whilst operating as Batman's mole within The Light, Desmond acted fiercely loyal towards Savage, going so far as to threaten The Light's members into submission and beating Queen Bee for insulting Savage's authority. But even then, Desmond rejected Savage's praise, claiming that he was 'killing' the Justice League's members as retribution for their cold treatment, much to the latter's enjoyment. Even five years after the revelation that of Desmond's collaboration with Batman, Savage still maintains a great interest in the Mimic, an interest that borders obsession. But this obsession is not infallible. When Desmond refused Lobo's message, Savage broke his composure and branded Desmond with the Mark of the Black Racer, practically a death sentence. Zatanna Zatara Zatanna is the love of Desmond's life. The two first met when Desmond was attacked by Parasite, the latter becoming smitten with her almost immediately. During Desmond's training period as a Young Justice Trainee, the two of them formed a fairly amicable friendship. On his first mission with Zatanna, Desmond learned Zatanna was in a relationship with Robin, greatly disheartening him, but not so much that he no longer wanted to be friends with her. During the Mimic Contingency, Desmond's 'attacks' on the Justice League and the Team put Zatanna into a deep depression and in a state of denial that the former would 'murder' the League members so callously. After several encounters (and failures to deter him), Desmond invited her to the Restaurant D'if, his attempt at coercing her and the Team into a state of surrender. But the magician turned the tables on Desmond, causing him to doubt his resolve for following the Contingency, so much so that he actually considered Zatanna's offer to flee the Team and The Light together. As Desmond broke down, he professed his feelings for Zatanna, the two of them sharing a kiss before being interrupted by the eavesdropping Team. Even after the Mimic Contingency's completion, the two of them continued a secret relationship before Desmond left on for five years. But for unknown reasons, shortly after meeting Metron, Desmond cut off all contact with her. When he came back from his journey, Zatanna confronted him about it before storming out of the Watchtower. Fortunately, the two of them met at Zatanna's apartment in Gotham, where Desmond promised he would never leave her side again and professed his love for her once more. The two of them consummated their relationship the same night. The two unfortunately hit somewhat of a rough patch later, when Desmond's obsession with defeating Darkseid and Vandal Savage gets the better of him and Zatanna starts to notice the tension between him and Kaylanna. On the week Desmond goes missing and turns up at Zatanna's apartment, she confronts him about it, to which she also reveals that she knows he's dying. The two break down in each other's arms, re-affirming their love and trust in one another. Not a week afterwards, it is revealed that Zatanna is pregnant, which brings immense joy to Desmond. The latter becomes so excitable that he almost forgets the matter with Darkseid and the training sessions he leads, preferring to discuss baby names with Zatanna. Following his battle with Delsin on Earth-14, but preceding his battle with Wally West/Black Racer, the two finally settle on a name - Denzel. Kaylanna Lance Kaylanna and Desmond met at some point early on in the latter's five year journey. Whilst the details on their meeting are unknown, it has been shown that the two studied under the same mentor and that initially, they didn't get along. At some point however, as evidenced by photo on Kaylanna's phone, the two eventually grew closer and fell in love. By the start of The Titans Convergence, the two have broken up, as Desmond was shocked and angered to see her when she arrived at the Titans Tower. But despite the avarice between the two, it has been shown that the two still care for one another. When Desmond told Kaylanna of his impending death, Kaylanna broke down in his arms sobbing, begging him not to die and that she "(didn't) want to think of a world without him in it". In the following chapter, it was confirmed that Kaylanna still has feelings for Desmond and (possibly) vice versa. Since that night, the two of them have become much closer, and their hidden feelings much more apparent. When Desmond went missing a week after his confession about his involvement in Wally's death, Kaylanna had been working the whole week to find him, finally catching up with him at the Happy Harbour Cemetery. After a small yet depressing conversation, Kaylanna broke her composure and shared a kiss with Desmond, which the former reciprocated. Much to his dismay, Desmond noted that had Kaylanna not pulled away from him, they would have ended up going "further". Trivia * Desmond's surname 'Snyder' is a reference to Zack Snyder and Scott Snyder, two men with major roles in the DC Comics community ** Zack Snyder is arguably the man responsible for launching the DCEU films and consequently, the director/producer/cinematographer of DCEU films 'Man of Steel' and 'Batman V Superman'. ** Scott Snyder is a comic writer who worked heavily on the New 52-era Batman (Volumes #1-51) which were widely considered the best comics in the controversial publication run. * According to a conversation between him and Zatanna, Desmond doesn't have a drivers license. * During the weeks prior to his journey around the world, Desmond often raced Wally around his school track. Whilst not explicitly stated, it's hinted that Wally lost to Desmond every time. ** This would make Desmond the third fastest 'speedster' between him, Wally, Bart (Impulse) and Barry Allen (The Flash), not counting the original Flash, Jay Garrick. * Desmond has 'killed' three people to date; Count Vertigo, Black Adam and Teekl/Klarion, but whether or not he actually 'killed' them is up for debate. ** In terms of proper mindset, it was not really Desmond who killed Count Vertigo and Black Adam. Technically speaking, it was 'Darkmond'/Mimic that murdered the two, taking advantage of the boy's body while he was wounded. ** When Desmond shot a beam through Teekl, he temporarily 'killed' Klarion's physical form. Since Klarion is an immortal Lord of Chaos and re-appeared in the end of The Mimic Contingency, it's apparent that Desmond didn't actually kill him at all. * While Zatanna was the first girl Desmond 'dated', Kaylanna was his first official girlfriend. During the events between The Mimic Contingency ''and ''The Titans Convergence, Desmond was in a relationship with the latter for almost two years. Desmond didn't ask Zatanna to be his girlfriend until two months after he got back from his travels. ** Although in terms of romantic feelings, Desmond did admit that despite being with Kaylanna for two years, he still couldn't forget his feelings for Zatanna. Oddly enough, Kaylanna seemed perfectly fine with this. * Desmond is one of the few people Batman has a Contingency Plan for, but the Dark Knight noted that Zatanna, Kaylanna or the Titans would be involved somehow. * In The Titans Convergence ''chapter '''Shipper Royale - Part 2' Desmond admitted that Artemis was a very good kisser and vice versa.